Athletics News

RENO, Nev. – The University of Nevada will induct its largest class since 1974 to the Athletics Hall of Fame next month, the school announced today.

Golfer Michael Allen, football player John Dutton and Chris Lemon, baseball player Justin Martin, women’s basketball player Kate Smith, swimmer Terina Cook Dutton, skier Katerina Hanusova Nash and men’s basketball coach Trent Johnson make up the eight-member class that will be inducted Friday, Sept. 20 at the Hall of Fame Dinner at the Reno Ballroom. A halftime ceremony will be held the following day at the Nevada-Hawai`i football game at Mackay Stadium.

“This is an amazing class that represents so much of our great tradition and history at Nevada,” athletics director Doug Knuth said. “We’re excited to have these seven standout former student-athletes and Coach Johnson back on campus for Hall of Fame weekend next month.”

Including this year's honorees, 173 individuals and two teams have been selected for induction in the Nevada Athletics Hall of Fame in since its inception in 1973. Plaques honoring each inductee can be found in the Hall of Fame Room at Legacy Hall, which is open to the public during business hours.

The Hall of Fame Dinner is open to the public and features and unique question-and-answer session with emcee Ryan Radtke and each inductee. Tickets are $50 each with no-host cocktails at 6 p.m. and dinner served at 7 p.m. Please call (775) 682-6901 for more information.

Nevada Athletics Hall of Fame, Class of 2013

Michael Allen – Men’s Golf (1978-82)Earned honorable-mention All-America honors by the NCAA Coaches Selection Committee in 1982…was also named first-team All-Big Sky and All-NCAA Region 7 that season…turned in a 74.2 stroke average and won individual medalist honors at the 1982 UNR Spring Tournament at Edgewood …has gone on to have a distinguished professional career and is currently playing on the Champions Tour… has won four times on the Champions Tour…became the first multiple event winner on the Champions Tour in 2012…won the Mississippi Gulf Resort Classic in 2013.

John Dutton – Football (1996-97)Won Nevada’s Golden Helmet Team MVP award in 1997…guided the Wolf Pack to Big West Co-Championships in 1996 and 1997…helped Nevada to the Las Vegas Bowl in 1996…two-year starter at quarterback…was the 1996 and 1997 Big West Offensive Player of the Year and a two-time All-Big West first-team honoree…racked up 2,750 yards passing and 22 touchdowns with only six interceptions in 1996…added 3,526 yards and 20 touchdowns with only six interceptions in 1997…ranks seventh in career passing yards (6,276) and eighth in career passing touchdowns (42) at Nevada despite playing just two seasons…transferred to Nevada from the University of Texas…was drafted in the sixth round by the Miami Dolphins but never played in the NFL…has had a successful career in the Arena Football League, leading the San Jose Sabercats to the Arena Bowl championship in 2002 (was named the Offensive Player of the Game) and the Colorado Crush to the title in 2005…has co-founded the Dutton Foundation and Heavenly Hope Ministries with his wife, Terina Cook-Dutton (a former Wolf Pack student-athlete) to help people all over the world (mission: to lead, nurture, and inspire the faith, integrity, and service of both our present and future generations ).

Terina Cook Dutton – Swimming & Diving/Track & Field (1995-2000)Was a two-sport athlete in both swimming and track and field…qualified for the conference championships in both sports… in swimming, was an eight-time All-American, all as part of Nevada’s relay teams…helped the Wolf Pack to four Big West team titles (1996, 1997, 1998, 2000)…was part of the school-record 200 and 400 medley relay teams…appears nine times in the Nevada record book…helped the Wolf Pack win nine Big West relay titles… won the Big West individual championship in the 50 free in 1996 and 1997, breaking the school record both years…qualified for and competed in the U.S. Olympic Trials…has co-founded the Dutton Foundation and Heavenly Hope Ministries with her husband, John Dutton (a former Wolf Pack quarterback) to help people all over the world (mission: to lead, nurture, and inspire the faith, integrity, and service of both our present and future generations ).

Katerina Hanusova Nash – Skiing (2001-02)Three-time NCAA champion, winning the 15k freestyle and the 5k classical in 2001 and defending her 15k freestyle title in 2002…became the second Wolf Pack skier to win a national title since Nevada Hall of Fame inductee Pat Myers won the downhill title in 1952…four-time All-American (both events in 2001 and 2002)…four-time Olympian for the Czech Republic, competing in mountain biking in 1996 and 2012 and cross country skiing in 1998 and 2002.

Trent Johnson – Men’s Basketball Coach (1999-2004)Turned in a 79-74 record in five seasons at Nevada…started Nevada’s string of nine consecutive winning seasons and eight straight postseason appearances…guided Nevada to its first Western Athletic Conference regular-season and tournament championships in 2003-04 as well as its first appearance in the NCAA Sweet Sixteen…that year Nevada turned in a 25-9 record, starting a string of four consecutive seasons with at least 25 victories…helped the team to its first postseason appearance in six years with an NIT bid in 2002…coached guard Kirk Snyder to the 2004 WAC Player of the Year award and honorable-mention AP All-America honors…left Nevada to become the head coach at Stanford University, Louisiana State University and currently TCU… came up with the idea of having NBA seats at courtside and on the sidelines at Lawlor Events Center, a model that has allowed Wolf Pack Athletics to generate over $15 million in scholarship support… also created the Starting Five, the financial support group that has proven indispensible to the men’s basketball program which has generated more than $2 million is community support since its inception.

Chris Lemon – Football (1996-99)Earned first-team All-Big West honors in 1999 and second-team accolades in 1997 and 1998…became the Big West’s all-time touchdown leader with 56 and ranks third in the Nevada record book in career touchdowns scored…checks in at second on Nevada’s list for career rushing touchdowns (53) and attempts (904) and fourth in career rushing yards (4,246)…had three 1,000-yard rushing seasons (1,170 in 1999, 1,154 in 1998 and 1,055 in 1997)…held the school record for career rushing touchdowns until Colin Kaepernick broke it in 2010…also held Nevada’s season record for rushing touchdowns until Kaepernick (20) in 2010 and is now tied for second with Vai Taua with 19 in 1997…became the Big West’s career leader for carries and is second in career rushing yards in the conference.

Justin Martin – Baseball (1996-99) Second-team All-Big West honoree at second base in 1998 and 1999…helped Nevada to a pair of NCAA Regional appearances in 1997 and 1999 as well as Big West championships in 1997 and 1998…holds the school record with 62 career stolen bases…ranks third in school history with 201 career runs, seventh with 247 career hits, tied for seventh with 10 career triples and ninth with 691 career at-bats…his career batting average of .357 ranks eighth all time at Nevada…scored 69 runs (10th on Nevada’s single-season charts), had 88 hits (sixth) and 26 stolen bases (tied for fourth) in 1999.

Kate Smith – Women’s Basketball (1999-2003)Earned honorable-mention Kodak All-America honors in 2001…three-time all-conference selection…was the 2000 Big West Conference Freshman of the Year and earned second-team All-Big West honors that year…two-time first-team All-WAC selection in 2001 and 2002…appears in the Nevada record book 13 times…ranks second in career scoring at Nevada with 1,942 points…is also third in career rebounding (785) and third in free throws made (464)…is one of just six players in school history to record 1,000 points and 500 rebounds…is also 10th in career assists (216), third in career free throws made (464) and seventh in career blocked shots (82)…signed a professional contract with Helios, a professional team in Switzerland, in 2003.

RifleMitchell Van Patten

University of Nevada sophomore Mitchell Van Patten’s outstanding shooting this season along with his freshman year and his performance at the Winter Airgun Championships this past weekend has earned him a spot on the USA Junior National Team. Van Patten, from Nampa, Idaho is one of 14 shooters on the junior team.